Latest California Healthline Stories
U.S. Public Underestimates Threat of Influenza, Survey Finds
More than half of U.S. residents underestimate the seriousness of the flu, which could be a reason why many did not receive the flu vaccine in the 2004-2005 season, according to a study published in the May/June edition of Health Affairs, CQ HealthBeat reports.
Wall Street Journal Examines Philip Morris’s Successful Defense Strategy
The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday examined how a “pugnacious defense strategy is starting to pay off” for Philip Morris USA as company lawyers work to reduce the number and size of lawsuits alleging harm from cigarettes.
California To Receive About $71M in Federal Funding This Year To Care for Undocumented Immigrants
Hospitals in California this year will receive as much as $71 million in additional federal funding for providing care to undocumented immigrants under new regulations announced by CMS on Monday, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Some U.S. Physicians Do Not Provide Highest Quality of Care Available, Study Finds
A study published Tuesday in the journal Health Affairs indicates that some physicians “are failing to provide Americans with the best care that modern medicine has to offer,” the Chicago Tribune reports.
No Deaths Attributed to Closure of Trauma Center at King/Drew Medical Center
No deaths or cases of serious harm to patients have been attributed to the closure in March of Martin Luther King Jr./Drew Medical Center’s trauma center, Los Angeles County health officials said, the Los Angeles Times reports.
State Funding for Health Care Services Examined
The Orange County Register on Tuesday looked at the cost of state health and welfare programs in the first in a series of articles examining challenges to balancing the state budget.
Stem Cell Finance Committee Considers Alternate Funding Options
The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine Finance Committee on Monday authorized the state treasurer to consider issuing up to $200 million in short-term notes to fund the program, the New York Times reports.
San Joaquin County Slow To Develop Mental Health Funding Plan, Some Advocates Say
Some mental health advocates say that San Joaquin County is lagging behind the rest of the state in developing a spending plan for mental health care funding approved under Proposition 63, leading to concerns that the release of funds for the county could be delayed, the Stockton Record reports.
Personal health records and other health care information technology could decrease medical errors and save money, but incompatibility between information systems and insufficient government funding are delaying progress, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.), founder of the Center for Health Transformation, said Monday, TechnologyDaily reports.
Delay Expected for Senate Vote on Nomination of Lester Crawford as FDA Commissioner
A vote tentatively scheduled for Wednesday on the nomination of FDA Acting Commissioner Lester Crawford as permanent head of the agency likely will be delayed until the HHS Office of Inspector General completes an investigation into certain allegations, aides for Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chair Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.) said Monday, CQ Today reports.